Drafting apparatus



July 23, 1940. c. MORTON 2,208,803

DRAFTING APPARATUS Filed April 11, 1938 INVENTOR. 6%0f/6S 0/ 0/2 A TTORNEY S.

Patented July 23, 1940 DRAFTING APPARATUS Charles Morton, Pawtuckct, R. .1. Application April 11, 1938, Serial No. 201,412

.3 Claims invention relates to an apparatus for drafting textile fibers; and hasfor one of its -objects'to provide an arrangement of the draft rolls whereby the spacing between the nip of the back rolls and the nip of the front rolls may be considerably reduced in extent.

Another object of the invention isto provide a stronger yarn "by this rearrangement of the operating parts and thus a better quality of the product.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple rearrangement of the operating parts from that adopted on drafting frames which are already in existence.

Another object of the invention is to eliminate the necessity of providing for breaker draft rolls for operation prior to the main drafting span.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through the frame showing the roll stand and weighting means;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of a fragmental portion of the frame at one end;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of one of the upper back draft rolls;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of this roll and showing the same as engaging the roller bearer support therefor.

Drafting apparatus for textile. fibers usually comprise a pair of back draft rolls and a pair of front draft rolls with intermediate carrying rolls, there being no weight upon the carrier rolls and thus no nipping action performed on the fibers by them. In other cases there may be a pair of front rolls, a pair of nip rolls back of these front rolls between which and the front pair the main draft occurs, and then a pair of breaker draft nip rolls still further back. Also, usually the top rolls are provided in pairs with trunnions to fit into slots in an overarm to be guided in their movement, this being true whether they are loaded or whether they are merely carrier rolls. These trunnions provide friction retarding. the rotation of the rolls while guiding them in their location or position. By the arrangement which I have now provided, but two nips of the yarn are had, and I provide a carrier roll between the nips acting on the same lower roll which pro vides the nip of the back pair of rolls, and have eliminated breaker draft rolls; and I have arranged a roller bearer for the upper back roll so that it is unnecessary for this roll to have any it is of freer rotation, and by this arrangement the nips for causingsthe drafting are'closer together so that the, device is well adapted for drafting short staple cotton is a more detailed description of the presentem- .bodiment of this invention, illustrating thepreferred means by which these-advantageous :results may be accomplished:

With reference to the drawing, to designates the support for the roll stand H which provides bearings for the group of draft rolls, there being a lower front driven roll l2 and its companion upper front roll it of the usual construction. Cooperating with this pair of rolls there is 'a lower back driven roll It and the upper back r011 I5. A roller bearer It will be driven at the same speed as the roll it and in close proximity thereto and thus although there may be a nip at the points of contact of the roll it with the bearer It as well as the point of contact with the roll M, as these are driven at the same rate of speed, the nip at the point of contact of the rolls l5 and It will be immaterial and of no functioning effeet. A carrier roll I! also engages the roll it that the yarn may have a shorter span from the back pair of rolls to the front pair of rolls in traveling through the machine.

The front line of driven rolls is operated through shaft l8 which is suitably rotated from some source. A gear [9 is provided on this shaft which provides drive through the train of gears 2t, 2! and 22 and thence through shaft 23 to gear 2 1 which in turn drives the gears 25 on the end of the roller bearer l6 and 28 on the end of the back lower draft roll i l, driving them in unison in the same direction, and as they are of the same diameter they rotate at the same surface speed.

The overarms as indicated at 2i are provided with slots 28 for receiving the trunnions 29 of the upper front rolls :3, while similar slots are provided for trunnions 30 of the carrier roll H. No such slots are provided, however, for the upper back roll l5 of Fig. 3, which, as usual, with upper rolls is formed in two sections I50. and I511 with a smaller connecting portion 3! between the sections. The ends of the roll are rounded as at 32 and are trunnionless. A saddle 33 has a recess as at 34 for the front rolls and as at 35 to fit the connecting portion 31 of the upper back rolls, which saddle is loaded by means of the link 36 engaging the lever 31 which is pivoted as at 38 on the adjustable support 39 and weighted through hanging weight, 40 at some location trunnions to guide it in its desired position. Thus,

; and the following, 5

along the lever by means of hanger 42. The link 36 may be adjusted as at 43 at its connection with the saddle. By this arrangement the upper back roll is forced toward the lower back roll l4 and supported by the roller bearer 46 so that the yarn as it passes between these rolls is nipped at 44 and then again nipped at 45 which provides the length of nip on the yarn which is usually just a little longer than the length of staple which is being operated upon, the roll I! functioning as a carrier to decrease the span or distance between the nips that the fibers must be carried without support in this operation.

By this arrangement it is found that a yarn of better quality having greater strength is provided and the structure is much simplified by reason of its operating parts.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for drafting textile fibers comprising a group of rolls including upper and lower front draft rolls, a lower driven back roll and a driven roller bearer roll parallel and closely adjacent thereto, and a trunnionless upper back draft roll engaging said lower back roll and roller bearer roll, said back and said roller bearer rolls being of substantially equal diameters with means on the ends thereof engageable by a driver element for rotating said rolls at equal revolutions per minute to produce equal surface velocities. 4

2. An apparatus for drafting textile fibers comprising a group of rolls including upper and lower front draft rolls, a lower driven back roll and an upper trunnionless back roll having a reduced central portion providing shoulders to be engaged for maintaining the trunnionless roll in proper position relative to said other rolls.

3. A trunnionless drafting roll for textile fibers comprising two spaced leather covered sections for engaging the work, an intermediate section between said leather covered sec-tions of a diameter less than said leather covered sections,v and a recess of a width less than said intermediate section in said intermediate section of still lesser diameter to receive weight supporting means and to provide shoulders to locate said means.

CHARLES MORTON. 

